Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 20

[cahn]

Yuletide signups so far:
3 requests for Frederician RPF, 2 offers
2 requests for Circle of Voltaire RPF, 3 offers !! :D :D

(I am so curious as to who the third person is!)

Comments

Re: New and Upcoming Sources Pt. 1

[selenak]

It does indeed. Also, if Leining asks Fredersdorf specifically to check the bills for Glasow-related forgeries starting with September 1756, I note this coincides with the war. I.e.the army leaves Berlin in August to invade Saxony. At which point Glasow, who's with Fritz as his valet, moves out of Fredersdorf's orbit, since Fredersdorf stays at home. This to me suggests he might have thought he wouldn't get away with it as long as Fredersdorf was still around, but with the war going on, and Fredersdorf sick in Berlin, hundreds of miles away, he probably thought nobody would look at those bills more closely.

Re: New and Upcoming Sources Pt. 1

[mildred_of_midgard]

Oooh. That is some really excellent chronological detective work there.

Speaking of timing, if Fredersdorf is involved in Glasow's downfall, what do you think of that coinciding with Fredersdorf stepping down for health reasons?

Also, if Fredersdorf was suspicious of Glasow in the months leading up to April 1757, could that be related to why Lehndorff thinks he retired partly for reasons of jealousy? Maybe Fredersdorf was vocal about his suspicions and Fritz didn't listen?

Re: New and Upcoming Sources Pt. 1

[selenak]

A repeat of our Georgij theories, you mean? Could be. Could also really just be the coincidence of timing. I mean, in any event, the following was clear in the spring and summer of 1756:

- there would be war
- as in the second Silesian war, Fredersdorf would/could not go with the King and would remain home
- unlike during the second Silesian War, Fredersdorf was in shape so bad that he could see the signs on the horizon that he couldn't do his job(s) anymore but needed successors. Now, in terms of purely valet duties, Glasow was, on the face of it, a good choice. Like Fredersdorf, he came from humble background and thus wasn't owing his advancement to anyone but the King, he wasn't a client/member of one of the noble families. He was good looking and evidently nice mannered (as testified not just by Fritz but by Kalckreuth) to get along with (if you weren't a fellow servant ranking below him). And since the journey to the Netherlands and back had made Fritz like him more, not less, he must have been a good on the road valet. (In peacetime, of course, but that was the only thing he could have been tested in at his age.)

Otoh, there was nothing to qualify Glasow for any non-valet duties. Since Leining doesn't take over as treasurer until April (when Fredersdorf officially resigns) but keeps Fredersdorf's secretary, I'm assuming Fredersdorf might have signalled he wanted to sign in all of his duties but Fritz deliberately delayed appointing successors for the non-valet ones because he didn't want to face the shape Fredersdorf was in and wanted to make him stay for as long as possible. Given how things had gone with the British embassay post, I would find it ic for him to let Fredersdorf's secretary Genze do the actual job while refusing to apppoint an official successor. Once April 2nd happened and Glasow got arrested, however, it was obvious that someone needed to be in charge of the clean-up as treasurer in addition to secretary G., and it couldn't be Fredersdorf anymore, because health. So Leining gets officially appointed.

That is, of course, just one possibility. Now I could believe Fredersdorf being a bit uneasy about Glasow, but the reason why I am hesitating to assume a similar scenario like we did for Georgij in 1741 - i.e. Fredersdorf being outright suspicious - is precisely that it's not 1741 anymore. I think if he voiced suspicions to Fritz in early 1756 with a life time of trust behind them and neither of them having to adjust to a new position, Fritz would not have dismissed them. There's also a world of difference between thinking "hm, this new kid on the block seems a bit too eager/just rubs me the wrong way" - which you could dismiss with "nah, that's probably just me getting old, and also I feel a bit possessive because valet was the first office Fritz ever gave me" - and "I do think this guy is Up To No Good".

Mind you: given that Carel the favored page went with Fritz into the war, as did other pages and servants Frederdorf knew, he might have told them to keep an eye on Glasow discreetly, which would provide yet another explanation as to why Glasow according to all versions was busted by a servant.

Re: New and Upcoming Sources Pt. 1

[mildred_of_midgard]

Given how things had gone with the British embassay post, I would find it ic for him to let Fredersdorf's secretary Genze do the actual job while refusing to apppoint an official successor. Once April 2nd happened and Glasow got arrested, however, it was obvious that someone needed to be in charge of the clean-up as treasurer in addition to secretary G., and it couldn't be Fredersdorf anymore, because health. So Leining gets officially appointed.

Hmm, this does make sense. I like this.

I think if he voiced suspicions to Fritz in early 1756 with a life time of trust behind them and neither of them having to adjust to a new position, Fritz would not have dismissed them.

Not out of hand, but he wouldn't necessarily have dismissed Glasow, either, if Fredersdorf didn't have hard evidence. And if Fredersdorf can think, "I'm just feeling possessive because it's hard to let go," so can Fritz.

I'm just wondering if there's some basis for Lehndorff thinking Fredersdorf was jealous of this guy. Of course, it could just be baseless rumors floating around.

given that Carel the favored page went with Fritz into the war, as did other pages and servants Frederdorf knew, he might have told them to keep an eye on Glasow discreetly, which would provide yet another explanation as to why Glasow according to all versions was busted by a servant.

Oooh, yes. I like this, too!